Thanks to all of you who attended Jeff Horn's fabulous, super informative presentation on the Common Core State Standards Initiative on Wednesday, March 27. It was a very eye-opening presentation that detailed who the key players in this initiative are, what their goals are, and why Common Core is so dangerous.

In a nutshell, if the goal is to create educated, curious, critically-thinking future leaders, then implementing Common Core is exactly what NOT to do. On the other hand, if the goal is to create docile units of "human capital" and massive databases to track their efficient use in society, then Common Core is definitely the way to go.

So what does that say about the organizations and individuals who have developed Common Core and are actively promoting its implementation?

It's key that we start educating our legislators--and our fellow citizens--about Common Core and why it needs to be stopped. Wisconsin 9/12 member Danny Krueger put together a list of Common Core talking points to use with legislators, but the bullet points can just as easily be shared with your friends, neighbors and acquaintances. Start conversations, begin dialogue, educate people! This is a trans-partisan issue--there are many, many people on the left who argree that Common Core is a terrible idea. Additionally, many teachers and educators, regardless of their political affiliation, recognize how damaging Common Core will be if the goal of education is to create tomorrow's bright, intelligent leaders.

William Butler Yeats once said, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." If Common Core becomes the standard, not only does education become just the filling of a pail, but it means that what we're filling it with is garbage.